Abstract

“Collect a word, add a word” catalysing youth to sustain local languages: A project at Ngwaketse junior secondary school Library

Setswana is a local language spoken in Botswana and it is an official language. It is spoken by most Batswana across the country. It is taught in the school curriculum starting from primary to secondary schools. It is very important as it gives learners their identity. Learning the language in school is imperative because it helps in sustaining it. Though Setswana is taught as a subject in schools in Botswana, it has been noticeable through national results that students regularly underperform in their local language. Students fail the subject and this concern. There are many reasons why this is happening; one major reason is that as learners graduate to higher grades, they stop learning Setswana intensively. They feel that since it is their language they do not have to learn it; they already understand everything about it. Some even believe it is boring. This has led to many Batswana losing rich Setswana words, which could help improve learners’ vocabulary and eventually leading to academic improvement. This paper describes a project which is going on at Ngwaketse Junior Secondary School library. The project’s objective is to collect and add Setswana words into the school library. The project started in 2016 with the objective to preserve the words and facilitate access to them. This paper explains how the project has worked and how the words collected so far have been accessed and used by learners, leading to better scores in essay writing. It will also show how the project has led to the improvement of Setswana language speaking in the school as a whole. An example is the formation of the Library Setswana Club, whose members have agreed that twice in a week they speak Setswana only, using those rich words from the collection. Sometimes members of this club give presentations during school assemblies. This is a good initiative because it is doing much in sustaining the Setswana language and at the same time it helps in sustainable academic development. Finally, the paper will share with school libraries globally the importance of local language sustainability which eventually leads to sustainable academic performance.

Session 187 - Catalysts for Environmental and Social Sustainability: Libraries Supporting Young Adults' Quest for a Better Future - Environment, Sustainability and Libraries SIG with Children and Young Adults